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Thursday, April 17, 2014

Breathe In

Breathe In begins
with an absolutely perfect display of intelligent filmmaking. Drake Doremus,
who co-wrote and directed the film, knows that if you’re fortunate enough to
cast Guy Pearce in your movie, the only thing you really need to do is put the camera
close-up on his face. Pearce will do the rest. The actor is a master of
emotional control, and in these opening scenes, we watch as Pearce’s character,
Keith Reynolds, suffers through taking an annual family photo with his
wife, Megan (Amy Ryan) and his daughter, Lauren (Mackenzie Davis). It’s all in
his eyes, which display a man of broken dreams and shattered spirit. Keith
Reynolds is a man who gave up on himself, and Breathe In is an exploration into the dangers of taking your life
back.

Shortly after meeting the Reynolds family, we learn that
they will soon host a British exchange student for the first semester of her
senior year of high school. Megan, a controlling and excitable housewife, is
enthusiastic by the student’s visit. Lauren, an athletic and independent teen
also starting her senior year, is curious. And Keith, he couldn’t care less.
Until, of course, he sees her. The moment Keith lays his tortured, sunken eyes
on Sophie (Felicity Jones), his world is forever altered.

The bond between Keith and Sophie is established on the ride
home from the airport. Keith, a once-inspired New York City musician who now
reluctantly teaches at a high school upstate, is the instructor of Sophie’s
piano class. Beyond music, Sophie seems to be the only one who notices Keith’s sorrow.
And instead of verbalizing her observation, she studies him, becoming enchanted
with his melancholy with each passing day. In Sophie, Keith sees an innocence that
enthralls him. He becomes quietly fascinated with her charm, maturity and delicate
beauty.

And I know what you’re thinking. With a plot like this, Breathe In only has one place to go. A place that, given the characters’ respective ages, ventures into
creepy territory. That’s a fair thought, but ultimately, a misguided one.
Doremus understands the perceptions of his material, and, thankfully, he has
the insight and talent to present it in a refreshing way. Doremus and Ben York
Jones’ script is largely to thank for this, but the actors are equally
essential. I’ve long since considered Guy Pearce one of the finest actors we
have, and Keith allows him to tap into a vulnerability that is immensely
compelling. I first took notice of Felicity Jones in Doremus’ previous film,
the honest and beautiful and all together perfect romantic drama, Like Crazy. Here, Jones delivers what
could be her finest work yet. Sophie is a damn tough role – reserve too much,
and she’s a victim; give too much, and she’s a tramp. Jones finds a perfect
balance, presenting Sophie as an enlightened young woman fully aware of her
choices.

Doremus has a fluid method of filmmaking that has proven to
be somewhat polarizing. In terms of style, both Like Crazy and Breathe In
are shot with a ceaselessly moving camera. (A camera that, for the record,
always seems to catch the right moment at exactly the right time.) Music is
important, as it often accompanies entire sequences that have little to no
dialogue. Editing cuts are sharp and often jump around to showcase the same event
multiple times. For example, the moment Keith and Sophie first embrace, we see
it from one angle, with the two of them lying down. Seconds later, we see what
appears to be the same initial embrace, but this time the actors are sitting upright.
At the risk of being presumptuous, I assume Doremus used two different takes of
the same scene and cut them together. The continuity is purposefully off,
thereby creating a unique moment of shared love. Very few filmmakers have the
audacity to implore such a technique, and that may be one of the reasons why
some have trouble connecting with Doremus’ work.

My point is, if Breathe
In is a film that stylistically and/or narratively divides people, then I
proudly assert myself as a dedicated admirer of the picture. There wasn’t a
single moment of Breathe In that
forced me to disengage. The film captivated me from frame one and never dared
to let me go. Surely one of the most honest and beautiful and all together
perfect romantic dramas I’m likely to see all year. A-

24 comments:

I fully agree with you when it comes to Guy Pearce (he is one of my top 5 actors working in cinema right now) as well as with your assessment of Felicity Jones (who I can't believe is almost 30!?) but honestly, I wasn't as enthralled with this film as you seem to be. I saw this a few months back, and while I did like it, aside from the performances I just couldn't view it as anything extraordinary. I would have to say that I prefer Like Crazy to this film.

Honestly, I probably prefer Like Crazy a tad more as well. That film actually really fucked me up. I first saw it when I was going through a terrible break up, and it deeply affected me. In a bad way, at first, but then, ultimately, in a profound way. Love that film.

Pearce is one of my Top 5 working actors as well. I love him in everything. The best. And Jones... my god, she's so special. She's going to have a grand career. I just adore her.

This is a film I really want to see as I adored Like Crazy and I'm eager to check out more of what Felicity Jones can do. Plus, Guy Pearce is just killing it as of late as that trailer for The Rover looks intense.

I think it's a safe bet that if you enjoyed Like Crazy, you'll dig Breathe In. They are very different films, but still born from the mind of the same man. And yeah, The Rover looks great. Pearce is bringing it there.

This is such an underrated movie.. but I didn't like it as much. I felt the end was too rushed while the start of the movie got so much more attention. Jones is good though, Pearce has always been good.. I haven't seen Like Crazy yet but I have a feeling I'll like it more than Breathe In.. one thing though, it sure was memorable!

I get where you're coming from with that last act. Actually, I wouldn't mind if the whole film was 20 minutes longer, just to flesh things out a bit. (The Kyle MacLachlan character was priceless. Would have loved to see one more scene with THAT guy.)

But ultimately, Breathe In worked for me. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on Like Crazy. That's a special one.

Glad you dug this one too, Alex! It captivated me as well, such a divisive, atmospheric movie. Sophie is an odd one, I had a chat with Ruth about her over at Flixchatter. Like you say Alex, Sophie is perceptive about his unhappy marriage, yet maybe she is also a bit naive about the consequences of her actions.It does run the risk of venturing into creepy territory, and society puts a lot of emphasis on age, though for me what the filmmaker is (controversially?) saying is sometimes those souls you truly connect to are younger or older, or from another culture. I think it avoids becoming creepy, because of the fine performances.

Great comment here, Chris. I mentioned that Sophie is sophisticated and fully aware of her choices, but yes, I agree that, like most 18 year olds, she doesn't totally comprehend the consequences of her actions. I also love your reasoning as to how the film managed to stay out of creepy territory. This film was going to live or die by the performances, and in my opinion, it lives damn well.

Hi Chris and Alex. I admire this film and some of Doremus' choices in directing this, though I didn't exactly love the film as a whole. I think the performances captivated me, which is a testament to both Pearce and Jones' talent. I also think it's not as creepy as it could've been despite the age difference, and I appreciate that it's not overly-sexualized which would cheapen the film I think. As I said in my review though, Sophie's character could've been developed a bit more.

I really appreciated that it wasn't over-sexualized as well, which tends to be the go-to theme in films of this kind. It was far more understated than that, which was nice. I kind of liked not knowing too much about Sophie. I guess I feel that if we knew more about her, it would be easier to paint her as a victim or a tramp. But she was such a gray character - I could never fully figure her out, which I liked.

Saw this at Sundance and was blown away, I though Guy Pearce gave the performance of his career (also the scene where he opens his wardrobe and it was all plaid was fantastic). I thought I was crazy because it got no buzz after Sundance and pretty middling-poor reviews, so it's nice to see someone else appreciate this. I haven't watched it since the festival, but I can't wait to dive back into it.

That's a funny thing about Sundance, isn't it? You fall in love with a film, then it fails to catch on. Some of the best movies I've seen at festivals have literally never even been released on DVD, which is actually rather tragic.

But yeah man, I loved this one too. Keith's wardrobe was so priceless. What a poor bastard that guy was. That scene when he watched her play the piano in his home... oh my god, devastating.

Even with your endorsement, I was surprised how affecting this film was given its shopworn plot and the mediocre reviews. I see where the bad reviews are coming from: the screenplay struck me as a bit sloppy and half-baked, but the cast is simply impeccable. Jones, Pearce and Ryan speak volumes about their characters with glances and pauses and throwaway lines. I was also impressed by the editing and sound design, which help pull the viewer along even as the iffy plot threatens to derail the film.

Two criticisms: This film feels like a case where the characters bend to fit the plot rather than the other way around. Second, I don't think the murky cinematography did the film any favors. It's a shame, because there are lots of beautiful compositions, but every scene looks like it was filmed at dawn in that gauzy, morning haze.

So those are my first impressions. I can't shake the feeling that, for all its positives, this film is not one for the ages. It's a solid low-budget indie, somewhat unfairly maligned by the larger critical community, but it doesn't really have anything new to say about its story or its characters. I am interested to see what else Doremus has in his arsenal. (To be honest, I wasn't in love with Like Crazy, either, but the guy's clearly talented.)

I agree that I'm not yet sure how long Breathe In will live for me. I've been in love with Like Crazy since the moment I saw it, but I'm not sure Breathe In will have the same staying power. Time will tell.

The color scheme of the film was such a bold choice. Part of me appreciates that Doremus tried something different, without being flashy about it. But at times, it was really goddamn dark. I don't know though, I suppose all in all, I didn't have a problem with it.

Loved that you mentioned the sound design and throwaway lines. That is EXACTLY how people talk, yet it is rarely reflected on film. I loved that about the movie.

The lighting/color correction wasn't a deal breaker, but there didn't seem to be a reason to shoot much of the film that way. You'd get a scene in full daylight and it'd look like it was shot through milk of magnesia. For me, it detracted from the mood of the film.

From what I've read since, Doremus relies heavily on improv which explains both the naturalistic dialogue and the overly familiar plot/characters. Nothing wrong with improv in itself, but in filmmaking I feel like it's easier to rely on archetypes.

I'm at about B- or 7/10 on this one. A good film, but I feel like some more time spent on plotting would've pushed it across that threshold.

Your final paragraph is definitely a fair point. And improv... such a tricky beast , especially in dramatic stories. I thought it worked well here, but that's largely because of the talented cast. I too am very curious to see that Doremus does next. I wonder if a less-improv approach would work well for him?

I didn't know that this was from the same person who did Like Crazy (and I loved Felicity Jones there), so I'm definitely going to try and see this one. I haven't seen much of Guy Pearce's work, but he has impressed me in the ones I've seen. Hopefully I end up liking their film as well.

Oh wow, really? Man, I don't think I've ever heard you say you flat out hated a flick. But hey, we like (and dislike) what we like. However, if you hated that film, I'm not sure you would like Breathe In at all.